Oh Poop!

Yup, you had to know we were going to talk about this sooner or later. That’s right, today’s topic is diarrhea. A dog’s digestive system is way different than ours. We start digesting our food as soon as we start chewing, but dogs wait until it hits the stomach. Their stomach acids are about 3 times stronger than ours – more suited to digesting chunks of intact food items. However they were not meant to ingest, socks, parts of shoes or toys. These are just a few things, along with food changes, stress and infection that can cause the runnies in your pet.

Those of you that have had young children will remember the BRAT diet prescribed by the doctor for just such an occurrence – Bananas, Rice, Apple Sauce & dry Toast. Rice works wonders for the occasional dog as well as unflavored Pedialyte and yogurt probiotics. Diarrhea that does not respond within a day or two needs to be addressed by your vet. Dogs can dehydrate and lose electrolytes if it goes on too long. Don’t worry if the first day your pet refuses everything, just offer water as this is your pet’s way of slowing down their colon on their own.

For the complete scoop on poop, read this article and don’t be afraid to consult your vet if you feel anxious.